These people are dumping industrial waste directly into the ocean and you’ll never guess why!

Photographer Stephen Mallon captured a series of photos over three years to document the unusual methods that New York City uses to dispose of its subway cars. Before jumping to conclusions, read more!

New York’s special way of getting rid of broken-down subways cars is very interesting…

Custom barges are loaded high with subway cars and carried out to the cold icy depths in the middle of the ocean.

They use construction equipment to push the subway cars over the edge, splashing into the waters.

While this may seem like a wasteful act of reckless pollution, there is a deeper purpose behind this odd method.

Each subway car will be left on the ocean floor, to be assimilated into the ecosystem.

Over time, every inch of the surface of these subway cars is covered in life, creating an artificial coral reef system.

Every metal pipe, edge, ridge, and corner is covered in coral and an ecosystem is created.

This is what it looks like after 5 years…

This is what it looks like after 10 years…

The process of creating artificial reefs has been a great help to restoring areas that are damaged by human activity. Engineers have even sunk an entire aircraft carrier to turn it into a reef ecosystem.

In an ideal world, the ocean floor wouldn’t be so damaged in the first place. The idea is that steps like these are helping repair this destruction.

What are your thoughts? Comment below.

Ariana Marisolis a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. She is an avid nature enthusiast, gardener, photographer, writer, hiker, dreamer, and lover of all things sustainable, wild, and free. Ariana strives to bring people closer to their true source, Mother Nature. She graduated The Evergreen State College with an undergraduate degree focusing on Sustainable Design and Environmental Science.